


stand and face me

by svnflowerz



Series: scatter [1]
Category: Ever After High
Genre: AU, F/F, Legacy Day, quarantine content, vv au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:54:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23547205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/svnflowerz/pseuds/svnflowerz
Summary: It’s Legacy Day. It’s Legacy Day and your name is Raven Queen and this is the day that’s haunted your life.The sun has risen when you wake up, and Apple’s smiling at you. She’s smiling at you and all you can think about is the way your chest hurts when you think about her. You don’t love her. You like her now, you know that. You know that she wants nothing more from you than to play your part in her story. And you think, maybe you will. Maybe this is what it all leads to. Maybe all you have to do is fulfill your part and you will have her friendship. Her hand to hold..or: raven queen signs the book. she doesn't sign her soul away.
Relationships: Cerise Hood/Raven Queen, Implied Apple White/Raven Queen, Madeline "Maddie" Hatter & Raven Queen, Raven Queen & Cedar Wood
Series: scatter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075742
Comments: 9
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is v self indulgent, sorry lol. its like me pointing at the book and going " oh what if it was more complex shitty ya " but w second perspective bc im a slut for second perspective




It’s Legacy Day. It’s Legacy Day and your name is Raven Queen and this is the day that’s haunted your life. 

The sun has risen when you wake up, and Apple’s smiling at you. She’s smiling at you and all you can think about is the way your chest hurts when you think about her. You don’t love her. You like her now, you know that. You know that she wants nothing more from you than to play your part in her story. And you think, maybe you will. Maybe this is what it all leads to. Maybe all you have to do is fulfill your part and you will have her friendship. Her hand to hold. 

“Oh Raven!” She says, her voice like bells. “We should get ready together, I can do your makeup and-” 

It’s a nice thought. It’s interrupted thought, by a knock on the door. You go to answer it and it’s like destiny is calling. A goblin stands at the door, staring up at you as if he can see a future you try not to imagine. You smile at him, politely. “Raven Queen,” he says. “Your heirloom dress awaits in the cauldron room.”

This is the way destiny works? Is this your fate, you think fleetingly. That even the moments you have with Apple before you sign are not allowed to last. You take one last look at her, you smile apologetically and you follow the goblin to the depths of the school. You're doing this for her. You're doing this for her. 

Why are you doing this for her? It haunts you. You don’t love her. You haven’t known her long enough. You think of how she held your hand and went through every hoop you were jumping through, trying to find another way. If there had been one, she would’ve let you take it. You think of her smile, her blonde hair, her red framed glasses she doesn’t let anyone see. You look up at the coffin where your mother’s weapon of a dress is waiting. This is what she asks of you. You don’t love her. You don’t even know if you could, even if you tried. She spied on you and decorated your half of the room like a tomb and has always viewed you as something you're not. 

You think of her smile again. And then you shuffle into the dress. It fits perfectly. You don’t like the way it looks. You look into the mirror and you see. You see the Evil Queen. You can’t see Raven Queen in the mirror. You let your hair down, you do your makeup. You put on your crown. You put your head in your hands so the goblins in the room can’t see your tears. You wipe your face, reapply your makeup. You walk out of the room. 

They follow you, the creatures of the shadows. The creatures of your childhood. Goblins caused you trouble once, on the mountains. You know, now, no goblin will question your word ever again if you wear a crown like this. You feel powerful. 

Then-as you walk Maddie’s there somehow. You turn and your friend is holding your hand and. And, you know that the friendship you have with Cedar and Maddie won’t fit into a world of castles on craggy cliffs, and bone rat infested dungeons, and hordes of evil minions. But, Maddie is holding your hand. You think of how no matter what she’s always done the impossible. So you ask her a question, in the hall. “Maddie?” You ask her, your voice quiet. You don’t want anyone else to hear you. 

Maddie, Maddie with her curly hair and tall hats and puffy skirt lets out a laugh, “Yes, Raven-dear?”

“Maddie,” you breathe. “Maddie, if I sign the book. If I sign the book who will my friends be?”   


Maddie’s face turns confused, she grabs your other hand and she looks into your eyes and says, “Raven you silly-billy, You and me and Cedar and all of us, we’re best friends  _ forever after.  _ What in teatime do you think forever after means?”

It’s the last promise you needed to hear. The hallways lights flicker over you, a part of you seems to understand this is what your life will be. The few students left in the hallway are cowering, trying to edge their way out from around you and the followers behind you. If you take this there’s a promise of evil. But, if Maddie’s promising best friends forever after you think you can take it and hold it to your heart for as long as you need. You remember Apple’s smile. You want to keep it there for as long as you can. You smile back at Maddie, “Best friends forever after, you promise?”

Maddie nods, as serious as she can manage, “I swear on my second best hat and third favourite tea.”

You nod and smile at her. Then the two of you walk to Legacy Day. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I said v au I meant it

2\. 

When you stand in line, in your dress that could cut, and your cape that trails behind you and your crown that weighs heavy on your head you look around and you see smiles. You see smiles on all the faces you’d expect. Cedar is next to you and her face is alight and you tell her you can’t wait to see her become the girl she’s always wanted to be, and she smiles at you and she tells you that she believes in you. You let the moment sit in your chest and it rests there. This is what Cedar wants. This is what Apple wants. A fairytale can be safe. 

You look in front of you and-it looks like Ashlynn’s crying. For a moment you almost reach out, you think you know why she’s crying. You see Hunter near her frowning at the sight. You look behind you and you see Cerise, quiet, athletic Cerise you’ve always wanted to be friends with. She looks like she’s trying to hide into her cloak and hood. You pause. You step away from Cedar and Maddie to smile at her, as gently as you can. She looks up and catches your eye and she seems to try to smile back. You reach for her hand and squeeze it, you slide closer to her and you whisper, “I’m here if you need anything.” She looks at you as if she wants to say something, but she pauses.

Cedar is racing up the stairs as you look to Cerise. Cedar is signing the book and Cerise opens her mouth and she says, “Raven, how do we know that signing the book will actually bind us to anything?” 

Your heart leaps sudden, soft. Your mouth quirks up into a smile, a real one. “It’s what Headmaster Grimm says.” You hear Ashlynn pledge her destiny. You think of Giles Grimm in the Vault of Lost Tales, telling you the Storybook of Legends has no power. You bite your lip and you lean closer to Cerise, “But it’s not what his brother says.”

Cerise stares you down. She squeezes your hand. She says, “Find me after this.” You don’t know why, but you say yes. Maddie slides in between the two of you then, Cedar on her arm the both of them smiling. Apple signs her name, you know you’re next. You let out a breath. You turn to the stairs. You worry about tripping over your train and that makes you want to laugh. You find your place in front of the book and look at the crowd. 

There. Apple’s smile. She’s smiling up at you. Your chest tightens. You can’t do this for her. You think of Cerise, of Giles Grimm. Of Bella Sister. Of Ashlynn and Hunter. “I am Raven Queen.” You pause. “And I am ready to pledge a destiny.” 

No one seems to notice the change. Except for Headmaster Grimm, he looks at you with his eyebrows furrowed. A key appears. It doesn’t look like the key of an Evil Queen. It’s golden and there’s a dragon’s eye at the end. Nevermore, you think. You slide it into the lock and it opens to your story. No one else can see the story but you. You think. You think that this story might be different if you were not so sure. You think you might see a nightmare on the pages if you weren’t so sure. But, it's almost as if it’s reassuring you. 

The page is a mirror. It shows you your face and nothing more. You sign that destiny with a grin.


	3. Chapter 3




Apple hugs you when you walk down the steps and for a moment you feel bad, you aren’t living her story with her. That’s not what you signed up for. But, you sink into the hug for just a moment anyway. Then, you leave her arms. It doesn’t feel right. Hunter signs after you and - did he notice, you wonder. Did he realize you changed the words?

Because he’s changed them too. “I, Hunter Huntsman, son of the Huntsman who saves Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood, am ready to pledge a destiny.” 

You watch as Duchess follows the right script, and Cerise’s eyes twinkle as she doesn’t. Cedar grabs at your hand when Maddie rambles on for several moments, but doesn’t actually say whether or not she’s going to follow her destiny. A key still appears for her and Maddie’s eyes go wide when she sees her page. She signs with a quill she pulls from her hair. Cedar looks at you and you smile back, bright. 


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Apple tries to pull you along with her to the ball and a part of you wants to follow her, but you think of what Cerise told you before you signed. _“Find me after this.”_ Apple smiles at you and it still makes your chest tighten, but you knew when you started this farce that you couldn’t stay near here. You tell her you will see her later. You don’t mean it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's here! im sorry. tbh i actually forgot i wrote this.

5\. 

Cerise finds you. You’re just stepping out of the closet Hunter shoved you into to ask about destiny. Cerise pushes you back in and your heart skips a beat. 

“Hey,” she says. Her voice is soft, as if she knows you’re a little lost. You both should be on your way to the Legacy Ball now, but you don’t know if you really want to go and celebrate a lie. You’re sure Maddie and Cedar will probably hunt you down anyways to drag you down soon. Cerise tugs on her cloak, “Raven, the book’s not supposed to do that.”

You nod, “I didn’t think so.” Cerise lets out a little laugh. You pause at the sound, but then you refocus. “Cerise, you said that...you sounded like you knew something earlier.”

She nods, there are no lights in the closet but you can make out her eyes somehow. You think back at all the times Cerise was…

“Raven,” she says. Her voice is serious. “Raven, my mother is Little Red Riding Hood. And my father….Well you know him too.”

“He’s Mr. Badwolf,” you say. She nods. 

“Raven, my parents have told me all about their legacy days. Neither of them were huge fans of signing their souls away, but they saw it unfold. And Raven? It didn’t unfold for them the way it showed them in the book. My mother didn’t see past the Huntsman arriving, and she never saw my father the way he appeared in reality. My father saw himself escaping, but not the way it happened.”

“The book lies,” you say. _How do we know signing the book will actually bind us to anything_. Cerise’s parents told a story they never saw. Your mother waged a war that never existed before. 

A class of budding fairytales signed nonsense pledges. Your mirror phone buzzes in your bra. Your legacy dress was beyond compare, but your mother never saw fit to sew in pockets. You’ll change that, you think, if you ever need to wear it again. Cerise blinks at the sound, and when you squint you can see big ears all the better to hear with, hiding under her hood. It buzzes again and you ignore it. 

You breathe. Once. Twice. Your name is Raven Queen and Milton Grimm is hiding something. Cerise tilts her head at you and you think you could lose yourself in her eyes. You don’t think you’d ever want to be found. But, Cerise isn’t the type to lose her way, you think she’d help you come back if you were ever gone. 

She reaches for your wrist and pulls it closer to her. Her fingernails are long and they remind you of Mr. Badwolf’s claws when he wears his wolf form to scare the younger students. You stop breathing, just for a moment, and you wish you knew what she was thinking. 

_Bzz._ Cerise drops your hand and crouches over, the way she’s always shrunk in on herself. You know why now, all your suspicions confirmed. “Are you going to check that?” Cerise asks you. “Someone really wants to reach you.”

It could be Maddie or Cedar. Or Hunter, maybe. Really, you know it’s Apple before you even look. You pull out your phone, it’s warm from being stuck to your skin. You look at the hexts asking where you are and you remember the feel of Cerise’s hand on your wrist, the way you burn under Apple’s eyes even when Apple’s seeing a lie. 

“The Legacy Ball,” you say. Cerise nods and you wish for the look on her face from moments ago to return. You had almost decided not to go. But, you think of Milton Grimm. He's not expecting anything yet, you know. He underestimates almost everyone. You don’t respond to Apple’s messages, and you try to get Cerise to meet your gaze. “Come with me?” You ask. “It’d be weird if we didn’t go.”

Cerise gives you a half smile and you wonder how much worse it would feel to see it at full force. You think of her white teeth, you wonder how sharp they are underneath her lips. You want to _touch_ in a way you know you shouldn’t. You think of your mother’s sharp words and your father's wing separate from hers. Your mother never gave a lesson on anything like this, but neither did your father. Good and Evil didn’t know how to teach this and you wonder what that means. She doesn’t take your hand as you both slip out of the closet and you wish she would. You think of Apple and the way it felt to be near her when you wandered through the marshes and the mountains and down the lake. You can’t quite remember if it felt like this. You know it was, though you’d never say it out loud. 

Cerise walks beside you as you both make your way down to the boats. There will be one waiting for you, you know. You might have lost the creatures that followed you to your Legacy Day, but you know that they won’t leave you for good. And they haven’t. Maddie, Cedar, Hunter, and Ginger are all standing in the centre of them. Maddie’s making conversation and Hunter seems to be trying to take her example. Cerise barks out a laugh beside you and you do your best to play the sound again in your head, trying to make the memory of it stick as soon as it’s finished. She smiles at you and pulls you down by your wrist as fast, making you run in your weapon of long skirts and metallic train. As you climb onto the only boat left, though still a respectable one, you think about what it means to be first. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! it ended up not going anywhere at all! im ngl now has not been a good time to do anything as ive been involved w big things after another n im starting up a zine and everything so the future doesn't bode well for me ever writing the follow ups i intended to write BUT i graduate in 2 weeks (yay!! im terrified AND excited) and after that im setting myself a note in my calendar to come back to this and do some Real resolution to the plot n things. if im not back in a month feel free to hmu on tumblr to bother me or ask me what was supposed to happen
> 
> tysm for reading this !! it was rlly fun to think abt bc i always was stuck on why raven never Did More and i think that this at least Hints at the more that couldve been! also i rlly threw in a bunch of insinuations abt my hcs on sexuality in at the end defghjk no i will not elaborate here. i hoped u enjoy !
> 
> you can find me on tumblr on my main zoenightshadez or my writeblr is alienwritings :)

**Author's Note:**

> this is gonna be mutliple chapters! as u can already tell this is v diff from regular fic structure? even for me! nyways i have the next few 'chapters' ready n ill probably start posting after i finish this. it won't be v long, i think im going to contain it to just legacy day n a bit of the aftermath of raven's choices. im also teasing the idea of continuing the theme~ n making this into a proper series, but probably not. pls let me kno what u think!  
> .  
> u can find me on tumblr on my main @wlwhestia, my writblr @alienwritings, n i guess maybe my booklr @inotherlandz if ur into books (this is technically sometimes a book ig lol)
> 
> ty for reading :)


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